Many bicycles, particularly mountain bikes, are equipped with adjustable suspensions. A correctly tuned suspension can make a good bicycle feel and handle great, but an un-tuned suspension can make even a superior bike feel and handle terrible. Many bicyclists with such suspensions are aware of the adjustments and the effect each adjustment should have. However, heretofore, bicyclists must make the adjustments by trial and error, typically overshooting and then undershooting optimal settings for a trail and/or their riding ability and style. Trial and error entails riding a trail and then making adjustments, and then riding the trail again and making new adjustments. The adjustments are made based upon a vague recollection of the ride and subjective assessment of performance. Such a process is not only inefficient, but prone to error.
What is needed is an easy-to-use, reliable, durable device that provides meaningful data regarding the performance of a suspension throughout a ride. Such data should be useful for tuning a suspension by increasing or decreasing sag, rebound damping and low and high speed compression damping. The data should indicate the range of travel of a suspension regardless of static or dynamic use. By knowing the position of the suspension over a period of time, many metrics can be derived from the data, either in real time or post analysis.
The invention is directed to overcoming one or more of the problems and solving one or more of the needs as set forth above.